Broward teacher faces termination for bullying

January 13, 2013|By Karen Yi, Sun Sentinel

A Fort Lauderdale math teacher is facing termination after she allegedly harassed and intimidated a fellow teacher and intentionally embarrassed her students.

Sarena Stewart, who taught at New River Middle School, was suspended without pay last month by the Broward School Board. Employed by the district since 2006, she was charged with misconduct in office, immorality and violating the school board's anti-bullying policy. Her termination is pending a state hearing.

Stewart, however, denies the charges, according to her attorney, Robert McKee.

"They're misconstruing and blowing it out of proportion," he said. "This is normal everyday give-and-take between co-workers and instructors and students."

According to the complaint, Stewart allegedly began screaming profanities about the administration in front of a teacher and several students after she found out she was being investigated for changing 70 percent of her students' grades last year.

The results of that investigation were not immediately available.

The teacher said he felt threatened by Stewart's "loud, angry tone," the report said.

Stewart was also accused of repeatedly intimidating the same teacher.

On another occasion, the complaint alleged, Stewart barged into that teacher's classroom and confronted a male student about removing his cell phone from Stewart's desk.

The complaint said she called the student a bum and threatened to call police.

This incidents were the latest in a slew of disciplinary actions Stewart has faced. In 2010 and 2011, she was repeatedly issued written and verbal reprimands for failing to follow procedure when she was absent or left school early. She's also been disciplined for having a high percentage of failing students, arriving late to class and failing to return money to parents.

But McKee said the disciplinary actions were a way for the school to "paper her file" because of a "vendetta against her on behalf of the administration."